Freedom is frequently referred to as an inherent aspect of learner autonomy and is seemingly accepted as a matter of course, presumably because there is semantic overlap between the word autonomy and the concept of freedom. However, this may turn out to be a simplistic view of both freedom and learner autonomy. The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between the two. After having considered the definition of learner autonomy, the first part poses the issue of learner autonomy and freedom in an institutional context. It then goes on to relate findings from two research projects and concludes by presenting the need for an alternative definition of freedom as related to the concept of learner autonomy.